In the south of the south of Old Europe, it has that rare charm of small places that have grown little and well. Right across, 13 kms away, Africa looks down on us from the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Levante wind, which sometimes can get tough, has contributed to preserve this part of the Costa de la Luz from the huge speculation that many other coastal areas in Spain suffered during the 70s and 80s. This wind is also the reason why, since several decades ago, sportsmen from all over come to Tarifa to practice wind and kite surf. An additional advantage? Your laundry gets dried in a moment!

This affluence of sportsmen and travellers give Tarifa a clearly cosmopolitan edge, a perfect combination with the local flavour and the defectors from other parts of Spain. And it shows in the service sector increasingly more: there are charming little tascas and bars, but also good and sophisticated restaurants, hotels with personality, tempting fashion shops...

Culturally, the offer is definitely interesting: the old walls of the historic center, the castle of Guzman el Bueno, from the caliphate times in the X century, the different Renaissance, gothic and baroque churches, or the incredibly beautiful archeological site of Baelo Claudia, a roman city which is very well conserved, a National Monument that cannot be missed.

And, in spite of all these attributes, the area is still quite virgin. A large part of what comes to sight is countryside, only green countryside, and cows, sky and sea. We must not forget that over 200.000 hectares of Natural Parks surround us (aprox half a million acres). The Natural Park of the Cork Trees, of 170.000 ha, begins here in Tarifa, and the new Natural Park of the Strait of Gibraltar, 35.600 ha big, overlaps the previous one covering a major part of this area.

Public Administration efforts, from de Ministry of Enviroment, the Ministry of Culture or the Junta de Andalucía, have guaranteed the controlled growth of this marvellous corner of the world. However, these same efforts, and specially in the case of rural properties, have made the obtention of legal building permits a very complicated and difficult process. In some cases, simply these permits will not be granted. There is a lot of illegal building going on (this year already 20 new expedients), and these properties are also being bought and sold.

Therefore, it is of key importance to confide to experienced professionals.

If you decide to take any risks, let them be calculated.